Re: please help me understand plows

Shadybrady,

Your Yannie 1802 should be able to pull a 12", and maybe a 14" single bottom moldboard plow depending on the soil. I'm not sure what your HP is, but my dad has a JD 650, which is very similar, if not the same tractor. It has no trouble pulling a 12" single moldboard plow. He uses it to plow gardens for his customers here in the local area.

If I were in your situation, I would get (either buy or rent/borrow) a single shank subsoiler (ripper), then work your ground over with that, making a pass every 12 to 16 inches North-South and East-West. That would get any roots broken up into manageable pieces... if the roots are too big, you're just going to come to a stop... then it's time for a shovel and a mattock or other suitable instrument.

Once you've ripped your patch, then plow it under with the moldboard plow. If you do hook any roots with it after ripping, they should just come up to the top where you can remove them.

Once you get a moldboard plow set up and adjusted properly, they don't pull all that hard.